Statement by SRA in Response to the Energy Efficient Grant announced by DPM Wong
June 21, 2022๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฅ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ ๐๐ณ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐ช๐ผ๐ป๐ด
SRA is appreciative of the new Energy Efficient Grant announced by MOF yesterday. This will help encourage in some way encourage our smaller retail SMEs adopt energy efficient equipment as a long term measure towards going green and cope better with the increased energy costs during this time where other business costs such as labor, shipping, overheads and materials are on the rise. Larger SMEs can continue to tap on Enterprise Singapore’s Enterprise Sustainability Program to invest in energy efficient equipment for cost savings continue or embark in their sustainability journey.
As majority of our retailers are in malls and buildings with centralised air conditioning, we hope that the government can also encourage landlords/building owners to adopt energy efficient equipment , especially older buildings, to increase their efficiency in energy usage and pass on such cost savings to tenants.
What is perhaps most critical at this juncture is the dire need for manpower without which retailers are unable to man their retail stores, operate efficiently and worse, unable to deliver the high standards of customer service expected of Singapore as an attractive lifestyle destination. Especially now when travel borders are opened and tourist spending is needed. We hope the government will accede to SRA appeals for a temporary relaxation in our manpower policies for eg increasing the quota for the Dependency Ratio Ceiling (DRC) scheme and expanding the source countries for foreign workers for the Service sector.